


Like This Forever

by airamcg



Series: An Alternate History of the Gem Rebellion [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gem Fusion, Gen, Rupphire Bomb 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-20 14:50:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4791374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airamcg/pseuds/airamcg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being Garnet was an exhilarating rush. They became a stronger, better version of themselves as a single entity—no longer the victim and never truly alone. </p><p>More than once, they had wished they could stay that way forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like This Forever

 

 

 

“You want us to what?”

Ruby leapt to her feet from where she was huddled beside Sapphire, her jaw hanging open at what her partner was suggesting. Sapphire, however, coolly regarded Ruby with both her gem eye and her seeing eye, as if she had long expected that reaction.

They were on a grassy knoll just off camp, supposedly keeping an eye out for enemy scouts. But instead, they were watching the moon cross the sky while talking about life after the war. One of the perks of having Future Vision was knowing the chances of an attack, after all.

Ruby didn’t know how they got to the topic at hand; nevertheless, she just rolled with it.

“Is it even possible?”

“I haven’t accounted all the possible outcomes yet.” Sapphire shrugged. “But with you in the mix, who knows?”

Ruby’s frown deepened, but she quietly sat back down on the now-charred grass. She mulled over the idea, rolling it around her head as she idly tapped the red gem on her chest. True, being Garnet with Sapphire provided an exhilarating rush. They became a stronger, better version of themselves as a single entity—no longer the victim and never truly alone. More than once, Ruby had wished they could stay that way forever. Sapphire had obviously thought about it as well, at least enough to bring it up in conversation.

But to actually do it for real…

Thin fingers sweeping at her bangs brought Ruby back from her reverie. She looked up to see Sapphire smiling at her.

“It’s just an idea, dear. No need to get too worked up about it.”

But even when Sapphire had said that, even when dawn had come and they had to part to fulfill their different duties in the weeks that followed after, Ruby still couldn’t stop thinking about it.

 

* * *

 

“She’s still not back yet?” Pearl asked as soon as she saw Sapphire, concern knitting between her exhausted eyes. They were on the hill above the Temple. Sapphire was seated at the topmost peak, watching the rolling waves of the sea.

The war was over. Homeworld had finally decided to leave Earth for good, but not without bombarding them with Disruptors, shattering thousands of their comrades and corrupting thousands more. If it weren’t for Rose, none of them would have survived at all. As it was, they still had received enough damage to retreat into their gems.

Rose greeted Sapphire when she regenerated, handing her Ruby’s gem as they waited for her to come out next. They both came from the Corundum line, so their regeneration times should hardly be far apart. But when Pearl, who was always the slowest to reform among them, came before Ruby, Sapphire couldn’t help feeling worried.

That was two weeks ago. Ruby had never taken this long before.

Sapphire clutched the red gem in her right hand, where it clinked with her own gem. It was strange to see the blue, triangular cut jewel that was the core of her being, when she was so used to having it beside her one seeing eye. Pearl theorized that the change in gem placement was a milder version of the Disruptors' effect—any more than that and she would have been corrupted. It was too much of a close call. She was really lucky.

She tore her gaze away from the sea when Pearl reached her perch. “All the possible futures show that she will come out of her gem eventually. But I don’t know when or in what form.”

“She’s probably just taking her time with the little details.” Pearl sat down beside Sapphire and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “She'll be back before you know it."

As if on cue, the red gem glowed and floated out of Sapphire's grasp. Light shot out from it, solidifying around the gem to form a body, but everything was unbalanced and off the mark. Sapphire jumped to her feet and withdrew an axe from her gem storage. Beside her, Pearl had summoned her spear. Neither of them wanted to fight Ruby, but if she was corrupted, it was best to be prepared.

When the light subsided, Ruby was crouched in front of them, poofy hair pulled back in a headband and Rose Quartz's insignia clashing against her natural coloring. She looked up to see her friends uncertainly wielding their weapons, so she shrugged and decided to break the tension.

"Hey, babe. Nice axe." She suggestively waggled her eyebrows at Sapphire, but frowned when she noticed the single large eye staring back at her. "Uh, where's your gem, love?"

"IT REALLY IS YOU!" Sapphire tossed the axe away and leapt into Ruby's arms. Despite the little warning, Ruby caught her without losing balance as Sapphire peppered her face with kisses.

"Saph, wait," Ruby said between giggles and lips meeting lips, "Not that I'm complaining about this lovely post-regeneration treatment, but you haven't answered my question yet."

Sapphire's smile faltered, her seeing eye swiveling to meet Ruby's eyes. She withdrew her right hand from where it was wrapped around Ruby's neck and showed her the blue gem on her palm. "Pearl said it might be the Disruptor," she said. "We don't know if it's permanent, or if I'll eventually fall into corruption or— why in the world are you laughing?"

At Sapphire's confused tone, Ruby tried to reign in the giggles bubbling from her chest, but ultimately failed. Before she offended Sapphire further, however, Ruby whipped out her left hand, eliciting a surprised gasp from her partner.

"Ruby, your gem..."

"What are the odds, huh?"

"AND ON THAT NOTE!" Pearl loudly announced, yanking the two lovers back to reality. They had forgotten she was there the whole time. Pearl rolled her eyes at them, but the smile she wore was genuine. "I'm glad you're back, Ruby. But I'll be taking my leave now, thanks."

The two gems watched Pearl stalk off the hill towards the nearest human settlement, presumably to tell Rose the good news. They glanced at each other, and then burst into another round of giggles. This time, however, their joy intertwined with one another into a single melodious sound. Ruby swept Sapphire off her feet and twirled her around, their gems glowing, causing everything to be awash in pure white light.

Garnet emerged from the light in mid-spin, still wobbly from Ruby and Sapphire's dance. Thoughts and memories of conversations past swirled inside her head. She glanced down at her palms, at the two gems that comprised her. Then she smiled. The three of them were thinking of the same thing:

 _Let's stay like this forever_.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
>  
> 
> [This can also be found in my nifty new tumblr.](http://run-on-lightning.tumblr.com/post/129002982146/story-like-this-forever)
> 
>  
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome.


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